Normal
by Sacraa
Summary: A one-shot. What normal now stands for the Sons after Goku's death.


Just writing it for fun.

Normal.

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The wind blew softy over Mount Paozu. The setting sun created a magnificent view. The sky was a gorgeous shade of orange that only the habitats of the mountain got to see. The loud voices of the city didn't reach the mountain. Instead of the blaring of the horns and the shouts of people, Mt. Paozu was filled with the sounds of chirping birds and occasionally the roars of large animals. Mount Paozu wasn't ideal type of area for people to live. There was electricity and water but those who preferred the modern way of living couldn't strive on the mountain for much longer.

And yet, there was a dome-shaped house in the middle of the mountain.

Low humming could be heard from the house. Then suddenly, a deafening wail rang through the house, making birds fly out of their nests on the trees. The humming stopped.

Son Chichi made her way to her youngest baby. Goten was just a few months old and yet, his screeches were so loud as if he was trying to turn Super Saiyan. At least, that's what his big brother, Gohan, said.

Little Goten was crumbling the slats of his crib. Two of them were already missing. Chichi sighed and pulled his hand off the brown wooden bar.

"What's wrong, Goten?" Chichi cooed at her baby boy. Thankfully, he just seemed a little fussy and not hurt. There weren't any tears on his face and Chichi immediately knew that her son just wanted her attention. Goten's tail swished behind him. Being back in his mother's arms made him quiet down. He a big grin spread on his face. A bit of drool dripped from his mouth which Chichi wiped with the bib that hung over the crib. Maybe it was time that Goten stopped sleeping in the crib. At least that way Chichi could stop worrying over splinters hurting his little fingers, though with him being a Saiyan, it seemed that the crib was the only thing taking the damage.

"You just wanted Mama's attention, didn't you?" She smiled. Goten squirmed in her arms and swatted at the hair falling in his eyes. For a three-month-old, he was getting way too heavy. Then again, Gohan had been too.

There was no way Goten was going back to sleep. She took him to the kitchen with her and placed him on his chair.

"Now, be nice and let Mama do her work and then she'll play with you." Chichi tapped his tiny nose, making him giggle, which made Chichi smile.

Just when Chichi turned to clean the counter, Goten let out a wail again.

Without turning, Chichi started to talk to him.

"Now, now, Goten. I have a lot of work to do." Chichi said, "You understand, don't you? I have to get started on dinner and you know how much your brother eats."

That seemed to calm him down. He was happily babbling. Chichi grinned, satisfied. This was something Goku used to when he took Gohan out. When Goku used to train, Gohan often started to cry. Then Goku used to talk to Gohan as if he was a grown up.

She felt her heart clench as she thought of her husband. Goku should have been here. He should have been the one checking on Goten while she did the chores. Goku should have been the one making funny faces whenever Goten cried. He should have been the one to tell their sons to get super strong.

"He-he should be here!" Chichi let out a sob. Her hands were shaking. She felt like there was a wound in her chest that was throbbing painfully by each passing second. Her vision blurred. It was becoming difficult for her to breath. "Goku," she whispered, closing her eyes.

She tried to control herself but miserably failed. Sobs shook her body.

Why her? Why, oh, why had her husband gotten himself blown up in a fight? How could he not want to come back! Why was it, that Goku felt responsible for Earth when her people didn't even care about him and his sacrifice? Why was the world so cruel?

Still, she perfectly understood what had caused him to stay dead. And she hated him for it. She hated herself more for understanding it. Goku had always felt responsible ever since he'd found out why he had been sent on Earth as a baby. They had had long conversations about Goku's feelings of giving his everything when it came to saving the Earth. And his will had increased even more when Gohan had been preparing to fight the Androids.

It seemed so long ago when she had confronted him during days before the Cell games. He had even admitted it that he wasn't strong enough to fight Cell. At that time, Chichi had taken it as nervousness. Goku had been acting strangely. How could she have missed it? Those days, they had been wonderful. They had felt like those years before that wretched Raditz came to Earth. The three of them had been happy and Chichi had finally felt like they were going to have peace after so long.

She laughed bitterly at the memory, but it came out like a cry of pain.

Goten's babbling stopped and he started to cry.

Chichi froze.

What was she doing? Hadn't she promised herself that she was not going to cry over the past any longer?

You have been saying to yourself for months now. A voice nagged in her mind.

Shut up!

She wiped her tears and took a few deep breaths.

"Enough," she murmured, "enough."

She went to pick up her crying son. Tears were streaming down his face. His tail was swooshing wildly behind him.

Chichi frowned. It was time that they got rid of it. Goten was big now, and when he started to walk, she wanted him to balance himself on his feet. Goku had told her how being tailless affected a Saiyan's balance.

"Sorry, baby." She said, though not sure if that apology meant for crying in front of him or for what she was about to do.

His head rested on her should. She tightened her hold on him and the other hand tugged at his tail, gently at first. It made Goten shiver and he seemed to freeze.

She remembered pulling on Goku's tail for the first time. She pushed the thought away. She needed to remove his tail fast.

She tugged again, and harder this time. It made Goten whimper. Chichi winced.

Oh, god, she couldn't hurt her baby. Every time she'd tried to remove his tail, she'd chickened out. Even for a while, she had thought to let Piccolo do it for her or even Vegeta.

No, no.

She closed her eyes and yanked the tail with as much as strength she could muster without hurting him.

Goten simply continued to stare at her with his wide, black eyes. Her shoulders slumped and she rolled her eyes. Muttering under her breath about brute Saiyans, Chichi put her son down on the floor. He could entertain himself with the toys around him and she could go back to work.

Chichi had barely taken a step when she heard a thudding noise.

A shrill cry rang through the house. Her ears were ringing. She grimaced. Great, pulling tails, sure, no sweat, but banging the head on the side of the chair...

Oh, she knew very well that Goten wasn't really hurt. Ever since he had realized that him bumping his head on anything got her or Gohan's attentions, he'd just started to do it for fun.

Then she heard the sound of the front door breaking. Her heart jumped and instinctively, she snatched up Goten and pulled him closer.

Gohan flew in, his eyes wild. He was already in his Super Saiyan form. Electricity cackled around him.

"Gohan!" She screamed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." She hissed as she bounced a startled Goten.

"What-what happened? Is Goten alright? And, his tail is gone!"

At least, the bolts of electricity stopped, Chichi thought and Gohan came back to Super Saiyan from Super Saiyan two.

"Yes, he's fine. I just, ah, removed his tail."

Gohan winced. "You pulled it?"

She looked apologetically at her eldest. "Get rid of it please and try not to break the house."

Gohan nodded.

Gently, she patted Goten's back and began to bounce him again. "I know, I know. I am so sorry." She repeated.

It took a while, but he calmed down, but her ears hurt. A lot. Gohan came back, his hair was black again.

Chichi sighed in relief when Goten fell asleep.

"I am sorry I scared you," Chichi whispered.

"I thought you were in danger," Gohan mumbled.

Chichi ruffled his hair. Slowly, she began to walk towards her room so that she could put Goten to bed. He was going to stay up all night today. She sighed.

Gohan climbed on the bed next to Goten. Silently, he stared at his brother.

"I am sorry about the door. I promise I'll be careful next time." Gohan looked up to his mother.

Chichi pressed her lips tightly to stop her giggle.

"Don't worry, Gohan. You couldn't help it." She whispered, knowing how easily Goten could wake up.

A few minutes of silence passed.

"Do you know," she started, "you father used to break doors all the time when you were a baby?"

Gohan looked at his mom, startled.

"What?"

"Yes," Chichi smiled slightly, "when you cried while Goku was out, he used to come in running, not caring about anything else other than that his little boy was crying." She let out a soft laugh. "He was always the first one to reach you when you let out even the smallest of noises. You were barely a month old then. He was so afraid to hold you the first time. You were so little, Gohan, even more than Goten." She tried hard to keep the tears at bay as she remembered the time when Gohan was born.

They had been young and afraid, but still Goku and she had learnt together. A lot of tears had been involved and a lot of laughter too.

"You had a habit of chasing your own tail. You were about one and could barely stand. Goku used to love it when you did that. But chasing your own tail made you so dizzy that you often fell down." Unable to control herself, Chichi let out a giggle, "then he would tell you to get up. He wouldn't stop saying that until you got up yourself. You would give him the biggest smile to which he always returned. I wish...I wish for Goten to have a chance at having a father too."

Gohan sniffed. "I miss him."

Chichi smiled a tearful smile at her son and brushed the tears from his face. "I miss him, too." She cleared her throat. "He would hate it if he knew that we're crying over him."

Gohan nodded and rubbed his eyes. For a moment none of them spoke.

"Mom?"

"Hmm."

"Sometimes...sometimes I feel like I am forgetting Dad. Like the memories I have of him are fading away." Gohan said softly.

Chichi opened her mouth to speak, but Gohan cut her off.

"No, listen. I know who he was, I know what he was like. But I keep forgetting how he used to laugh, how he walked, like these little details...I don't know!" He struggled to find words. "Like..." He tried hard to control the sob that was threatening to escape, but the feelings kept bubbling inside of him.

"Gohan, you are not going to forget your father. And do you know why? Because your mind might be messing up with your memories of him, but your heart, your heart knows who Goku was. You will never forget him because he is in your heart."

"Really?"

"Really," Chichi said firmly. Still, saying it hurt. How could she keep reassuring her son whilst she was feeling the same things herself?

Why did it hurt so much? Even after so many months. She remembered everyone saying that it was only a matter of time before everything went back to normal. But what was normal? She knew, deep in her heart, that this was their normal now. That this was what Goku had left behind. Yet, she still couldn't help but wonder, just what if he came back? That he would come home and say that he was starving. He would pick up Goten in his arms and Gohan would tug at his sleeve and ask when their next sparring session would take place. And she would smile at her boys, then they would all have sat together and...and.

She felt her throat tighten. Tears, once again, threatened to spill.

This was real. Her thoughts were just a fantasy.

This was their normal.

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 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Sacraa**


End file.
